Streets in downtown Fort Wayne reopening soon

After weeks of being blocked off and torn up during the course of sewer improvements, several city streets will open up again soon, according to Fort Wayne officials.

*Main Street and Berry Street west of Ewing Street should be open Monday.

*Fairfield Avenue south of Main should be open sometime next week.

*Pearl Street and Fairfield probably will open sometime the following week.

City Utilities spokesman Frank Suarez said Thursday that these projected openings for city streets closed by construction all depend on favorable weather.

The construction work is part of a project to separate storm and sanitary sewers downtown. Diverting stormwater runoff from the city's sewage-treatment plant should reduce the number of times untreated sewage will bypass treatment, as often happens after heavy rains, and flow directly into waterways.

The sewer separations are part of the city's 2007 consent decree with the Environmental Protection Agency. Under that agreement, the city must spend an estimated $240 million (in 2005 dollars) to reduce the number of combined-sewer overflows in Fort Wayne.